A review by joymerryn
Tears and Saints by E.M. Cioran

4.75

Christianity delights in the sight of bloodstains, its martyrs have transformed the world into a bloodbath. In this religion of blazing twilights, evil defeats the sublime 

How ironic that a religion of peace and love has such violent undertones. A modern representation of this can be seen in the body horror of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ https://youtu.be/dTvGaBtiynQ?si=PswimdaMbevKpYUg, only re-affirming Cioran’s point. 
For the saints to be close to God, torture and misery are key elements to attain this, and this practically makes sense. The body in such an extreme state is prone to hallucinations of Jesus proclaiming his agape, bordering-on-Eros, type love and it being exclusive for you. 
Nature and music are means to connect to God, but not a route typically taken by the sadistic saints. Guilt and misery are commonly undertaken instead, when this should not be necessary since Jesus died to atone for this on God’s behalf. 
The translation by Ilinca Zarifopol-Johnston captures Cioran’s words beautifully, with his main themes associated with sainthood carrying on seamlessly. This is a book I will be spontaneously opening a random page to once in awhile to remind myself of Cioran’s captivating quotes.